Marketing Measurement & Modeling
How to handle unobservable (latent) variables
Quick Info: Master ׀ Seminar ׀ English ׀ Winter term ׀ ECTS 6
General information
| Target group | Master students (M.Sc. in the second or a higher semester of BWL Master (PSTO 2018) + MBR) |
|---|---|
| Course type | Seminar, advanced seminar |
| Rotation | Winter term |
| Hours per week | 2 (seminar), 2 (advanced seminar) |
| Grading | Exam (open book) (50 % of grade) and poster presentation held in groups of two students (50 % of grade) - Detailed guidelines for the poster presentation will be announced in class. |
| Credits | 6 ECTS |
| Course language | English |
| Time/Room | Refer to LSF for seminar and tutorial |
| Contact | Susanne Adler |
Course overview and structure
Marketing commonly deals with consumer attitudes, perceptions, and intentions. What these concepts have in common is that they are unobserved – they are latent. To measure such latent variables, marketing researchers routinely draw on factor analytical techniques. The objective of this course is to define and explain the fundamental aspects of latent variables and factor analytical techniques. Specifically, the course starts by introducing common paradigms for developing measurement instruments for unobserved concepts. The main part of the course introduces students to structural equation modeling, which has become a standard tool for analyzing complex inter-relationships between latent variables. Specifically, the course will focus on partial least squares as a crucial structural equation modeling method. Practical applications and the use of software programs are an integral part of this course.
The seminar consists of a lecture part (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Marko Sarstedt) and a hands-on exercise part (Susanne Adler).
Content:
- Recap: Elementary statistics and introduction to factor analysis
- Conceptualization and operationalization of constructs in business research
- Fundamentals of partial least squares structural equation modeling
- Assessment and reporting of measurement model results
- Assessment and reporting of structural model results
- Mediation
- Moderation
- Outlook on advanced topics (e.g., higher-order models, measurement invariance, multigroup analysis, latent class analysis)
Important dates and deadlines
- We offen an exam review session (WT 2024/25) on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 329, Ludwigstr. 28 RB.
- Registration is mandatory to review your exam. Please register until February 18, 2025 (11:59 a.m.), by writing an email to Susanne Adler.
- We have notified students who applied for the seminar. In case of any questions or other inquiries, please contact Susanne Adler.
- Please bring your student ID with you. If you are unable to attend the appointment yourself, you may send a representative with written authorization.
- The seminar application will open on September 15, 2024, and follows a first-come-first-served principle.
Please use this link for the application and follow the steps described in the form.
We will notify you whether you receive a seminar place or will be placed on a waiting list by October 7, 2024. - Please note that registration is binding upon attending the kick-off meeting
- Kickoff session: October 15, 2024 (02:00 p.m. to 04:00 p.m., room: Prof. Huber Pl. 2 (V), Lehrturm-V005)
- LSF examination registration: TBA
- Exam (60 minutes, open book exam): January 16, 2025, starting 5.00 p.m. (room: Schellingstr. 3 (S), S006)
- Final poster presentations: January 28, 2025, 3.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. and January 29, 2025, 08.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. (both sessions in Ludwigstr. 28RG, room 329) – please bring your poster to the session and
- Submit an electronic version of your poster (pdf) to Susanne Adler by January 27, 2025 (11.59 p.m.)